


A Ripple in Time

by Lady_Athena



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: (and so am I), A lot of death (Not all deaths are permanent), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Deadlights AU, He watches all his friends die like a lot, I promise!, M/M, Pennywise is His Own Warning (IT), Richie goes through a lot, Richie is a diaster, Richie is the main character in this, Richie's secret, Scenarios, The others come a little later, The turtle is here to help, This like... gets worse before it gets better, Time Travel AU, all the sadness, alright, but there is a happy ending!, i'm out, richie is a mess, there's a lot of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:28:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24084355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Athena/pseuds/Lady_Athena
Summary: Suddenly, the ground ripped out from under him, causing him to plummet into darkness. His tears floated above him as he continued to fall through the aimless abyss.“You failed, Richard.” A voice comments, making Richie growl.“I’m fucking aware!” He spat before he landed down onto his feet. He looked up to see the turtle standing before him.Surrounding them, laid thousands of bodies rotting. Each one held the same faces of each Loser; Stan, Bev, Ben, Bill, Mike, and most importantly, Eddie.  All of them were reminders of Richie’s failure to save them, taunting him with their open eyes.
Relationships: (eventually), Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Kudos: 27





	1. Prologue

Richie felt warm blood splatter onto his face, causing his eyes to snap open. He locked eyes with the one he loved most. 

_Eddie._

He was towering over Richie’s body just like he had countless times before, croaking out Richie’s name. He was calling out to him before being ripped away. His face twisted in agony, causing the bloody claw to sink deeper into his torso. 

“Eddie!” Richie sobs out, feeling his chest tighten. He was never going to get used to this, no matter how many times he’s relived this. “Stop!” Richie scrambled up, scraping his palms against the slick rocks beneath him. 

“You failed, Richie!” Pennywise’s taunting voice cackled. “Gameover!” His echoing laughter became slowly dull. Richie could only watch as Eddie’s lifeless body had been thrown into a small cave. “Eddie’s dead! Eddie’s dead!” He chanted. 

Suddenly, the ground ripped out from under him, causing him to plummet into darkness. His tears floated above him as he continued to fall through the aimless abyss. 

“You failed, Richard.” A voice comments, making Richie growl.

“I’m fucking aware!” He spat before he landed down onto his feet. He looked up to see the turtle standing before him. 

Surrounding them, laid thousands of bodies rotting. Each one held the same faces of each Loser; Stan, Bev, Ben, Bill, Mike, and most importantly, Eddie. All of them were reminders of Richie’s failure to save them, taunting him with their open eyes. 

“Don’t worry. We can still do this.” The turtle assured as Richie covered his face. 

“I don’t know if I can do it again.” He sobs out. He couldn’t take another attempt, couldn’t take another failure. 

“You have to, Richard. They are counting on you,” He assures, “His reign of terror will be over. Your friends will come back. We can fix the damage he has caused.” He explains. 

“What about me? What about all of this?” Richie gestures wildly to the dead corpses. 

“A price you must pay in order to do this. Your sacrifice is not in vain, Richard.” He lets out a sigh. “Please, Richard, you are the only one who is strong enough to withstand this. You must.” 

“I know. You’ve told me that before.” He snorts bitterly, “Come on, take me back. Ready for what? Attempt number fourteen thousand seven hundred and ninety-two?” Richie asked sarcastically. 

“Ninety-three, Rich.” The turtle comments, making Richie laugh out of spite. 

“Fuck you.” He laughs before scrubbing violently at his face. “Okay, let’s go.” He whispered. 

Soon, Richie was falling again. The turtle and all the bodies disappeared into the darkness as Richie plummeted faster than before. He grits his teeth, feeling his body tearing apart from the inside. 

Richie’s eyes snapped open again. He let out a loud gasp, sitting up in his bed. The blanket slid off his torso as he panted for breath. His blurry gaze raked slowly across the room before he let out a shaky sigh. He reaches over to his nightstand, snagging the glasses that rested on them. 

After forcing them onto his face, he sat there with a blank expression in order to collect himself and his memories. Another day in groundhog day, another attempt at ending all of this horror from killing off his friends. 

“Fuck,” Richie whispered before standing up from the bed. “Fucking fuck!” He cursed out, rushing out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. He immediately vomited up last night’s dinner just like he did every time he traveled back. 

He scrubbed his mouth with as much toothpaste as he could, hating the bitter taste it left in his mouth. He looked up into the mirror, staring at the lifeless irises that seemed to stare back at him. 

He was ready to face the day yet again. 


	2. One

The room was dark, which Richie was thankful for it. His head was throbbing, pulsing to the beat of his own heart rate. He knew how today was going to go, and honestly, he just didn’t want to think about it right now. His phone was charged, ready to receive the call from Mike that would inevitably take him back to his hometown. 

Two decades have passed since he had forgotten Derry, Maine. 

Yet, in this timeline, he couldn’t forget. No matter how much alcohol he drank, the memories had seared his skull like a burning tattoo. It felt like the movie ‘Groundhog Day,’ but with more death and more nightmares. 

Richie knew that if he made one wrong move, the entire timeline would end in death just like it has before. He’s called Stan, convinced him to come to Derry. However, it still ends with someone else getting impaled by a claw. He’s tried to stop it all himself, but that ended with him dying in a gruesome way. 

His phone started to ring with his manager’s face on the screen. He stared at it for a couple of minutes before snagging the device and answering it. 

“Hey, Steve,” Richie murmurs, running his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’ll be there in like an hour. I’m hoping in the shower.” He answered with a nod like Steve could see him. 

He hung up, tossing his phone back onto the nightstand. He sat there, staring at the floor for a few minutes. He knew what today would lead up to for tomorrow. His mind produced the images as if saying, “ _Hey, in case you forgot. Here it is._ ” 

He let out a loud groan of frustration before standing up. He brushed his teeth, but he was going to take steps back by getting coffee. 

The day played out just like Richie remembered. Before he knew it, he was on a plane going towards Derry. His leg was bouncing from the anxiety that squeezed his chest like a band, slowly getting tighter. Richie was just glad he was able to talk with Stan, convincing him to come back to Derry.

Richie fell asleep during the flight. It was a dreamless sleep that seemed to sate his fraying nerves. He was just thankful that he didn’t have to deal with the clown and all his glory until he actually got to his hometown. His eyes fluttered open the moment the plane touched down about ten miles from Derry. 

The town was so small that it didn’t have any airports within a five-mile radius. There’s a part of Richie that’s glad because driving in the night always helped to clear the fog in Richie’s head. He enjoyed those moments where there was nothing but an open road for miles and soft music coming from his radio. 

He pulled up to the townhouse, putting the rental car he had in park before letting out a shaky sigh. He snagged a piece of gum from the pack in his glove box, so he didn’t smoke. He swore to himself he’d quit drinking and smoking as much, he’s been doing whatever in order not to relapse. 

Richie popped the door open before stepping out of the car. His eyes fluttered shut before allowing himself to take in the cold air along with the scent of rainfall, letting a wave of calmness wash over him. He went back to the trunk of the car, grabbing the small duffel bag of items he brought from home. 

“Well, well, if it isn’t Richard Tozier?” A teasing voice called, making Richie smash his head off the top of the trunk when he swung his head around. Standing there grinning was none of than Stanley Uris, Richie’s best friend. “Man, I thought Bev said you’d grown into your looks.” He snorts. 

Richie’s eyes sting at the sight of Stanley looking like an urban Dad, wearing his sweater and khakis pants. Richie dropped his duffel bag, uncaring that the rainwater was going to soak through the fabric. He rushed forward, wrapping his long arms around Stanley.

“Good to see you too, Richie,” He laughs softly, hugging him back. 

“Stan the man, I can’t believe it. Holy shit.” Richie chokes out, unable to reel in his emotions at the moment. The positive thing was, he could blame his emotional state on regaining his memories so it wouldn’t seem that out of the blue. “You look so fucking hot! Turn around, let me see you from the back!” He grins, trying to turn Stanley. 

“Get out of here! Beep Beep, Richie!” Stanley chuckles, batting his hands away before stepping back. “Still as vulgar as ever I see,” He comments drily. 

“I was vulgar with your mom.” Richie shot back before slamming the trunk down on the car. He snagged his bag and gestured for Stanley to go first as the two walked up the steps to the townhouse. 

“Mike said to put our belongings in the room and head to the restaurant. You just want to travel together?” Stan asked, thanking him when Richie opened the door for him. “I can’t wait to see the others.” He glanced at Richie. 

They parted ways when they made it upstairs. Richie thumped his wet bag onto the floor before thumping down onto the bed. He was trying to plan out how everything was going to go before heading out to the restaurant. 

With Stan here, the losers had a higher chance of defeating it with no deaths. However, he needed to play his cards right in order to make sure that the death count stays at zero to one. Everything he has thought of so far has ended in disaster, so he needed to figure out a way that they survive. 

He needs to plan his words carefully too if he says the wrong thing, someone could die. He thought if he warned them beforehand about Pennywise, that they would be able to stop him. Although, that ended with Bill taking a claw to the eye that ripped open half his face. 

A dull throb pulsed through the left side of Richie’s face, making him wince at the memory. His hands clasped tightly together as if that was what is holding him together, so he didn’t fall apart. He forced down the wave of nausea when his eyes fluttered open slowly. 

“I’m going to fucking kill this clown.” He whispered to himself. “This is going to be over.” He pleaded gently when a knock at the door jolted him from his spiraling thoughts. 

“You ready?” Stan peeked his head in as Richie forced a smile before nodding. 

He really wasn’t. 

The drive to the restaurant was silent. Richie had opted to drive since Stanley had driven the entire way from Georgia. He glanced at Stanley every now and then, taking in the other man’s features. He wanted to remember the light in Stanley’s eyes instead of the clouded look of death. 

“Richie?” Stanley frowns as Richie blinks rapidly before looking to him. “We’re here… Maybe I should drive when we leave to go back to the townhouse.” He explains with a worriedly look. 

“I--I--Yeah, actually, I think you should.” Richie turned off the car before opening the door to let the cold air calm him. 

“Rich, are you okay? You seem really off…” He frowns as Richie shot out a thumb to signify he was okay. “Well, I don’t believe that for a second.” He huffs.

“Come on,” He points across the parking lot. “I think I can see the others. ” 

Stanley’s head jerked immediately in the direction that Richie pointed. He opened the car door before stepping out to get a better look at the crew. His eyes widened when he realized it really was all of his best friends. 

“Bill!” Stanley smiles as he slammed the car door shut and rushed towards the others. “Mike!” He exclaims. 

“Stan!” Bill’s eyes widened before the two met in the middle and hugged. “I can’t believe it’s you! I mean--I can’t--You’re here!” He smiled. 

Richie trailed over to meet the others slowly. The lovefest continued as each member hugged while chattering on about how long it’s been. Richie shoved his hands into his pockets as he stayed off to the side. He wanted to join them, but he was terrified that someone might go wrong if he did. 

“It’s good to see you, Trashmouth.” A voice held a sarcastic tone, making Richie’s entire body tense. 

His eyes flickered slowly to the owner of the voice. 

There he was, Edward Kaspbrak, in all his beautiful glory. Richie's heart fluttered just as fast as it did the first time he saw Eddie. He knew that his entire being belonged to that man from the moment he laid eyes on him. 

The worst part agreeing to do this is the fact that he's confessed to Eddie multiple times. He's poured his heart out to Eddie when he was dying, or when Eddie was dying.

And he knows what Eddie's answer is. 

He knows that Eddie is in love with him too, but there's nothing he can do with this knowledge. 


End file.
